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Arawn
Arawn, also known in the modern day as Aaron, is a powerful demon and former King of Hell, until his imprisonment and binding by the sorcerer Merlin and the angel Gawain, to a pocket dimension of nonexistence, only accessible to the outside world when the following chant is recited: "Hir yw'r dydd, a hir yw'r nos, a hir yw aros Arawn" '' (English: ''Long is the day, and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawn) Background Arawn is an ancient demon, so old that even he himself cannot remember whether he was created by Lucifer or was a damned human soul twisted by torture in Hell. Arawn's dominion over Hell took place during the 5th and 6th centuries (AD), at roughly the same time as Arthur Pendragon - now lost to folklore and legends as the mythical King Arthur - ruled over Britain. Arawn's personal hellhounds are known as the '''Cwn Annwn, '''and they appear - to those who can see them, that is - as hulking pale dogs with snow-white fur and red, bloodstained ears. When Pwyll of Dyfed, unable to perceive the Cwn Annwn due to being a mortal, accidentally claimed the corpse of a stag belonging to Arawn and his hounds, the King of Hell damned his soul as punishment, although promised to relinquish him if Pwyll could defeat Hafgan, a powerful demon vying for the throne of Hell. Expecting Pwyll to fail, Arawn waited patiently to claim his soul in Hell. Pwyll, however, overcame the demon Hafgan in combat using a special blade obtained overseas, and a furious yet impressed Arawn was forced to release Pwyll's soul from damnation, and rewarded him with the aid of Hell's forces if ever he should need it. As Hell began to run low on souls, a desperate Arawn rode into King Arthur's court as the Green Knight, and challenged any who dared to strike him with his own axe, with the promise he would return in a year to collect their soul if the blow did not kill him. King Arthur himself was about to accept the challenge when Gawain, one of the youngest knights strode up to Arawn and decapitated him with the axe. However, Arawn merely fled from his vessel and temporarily possessed Queen Guinevere to remain Gawain of his impending fate, before returning to Hell. Unbeknownst to Arawn, Gawain was secretly an angel of the Lord, and in a year's time, the pair met at the Green Chapel, where Gawain intimidatingly revealed his wings to Arawn and attempted to smite him. However, due to Arawn's position as Ruler of Hell, he was able to resit the smiting and engaged in battle with Gawain. Before he could kill the angel, however, the sorcerer Merlin arrived and, with Arawn distracted by Gawain, managed to cast Arawn into a pocket dimension of nonexistence, able to be summoned and essentially bound by reciting a special rhyme known to very few. Personality Arawn is a snide and cunning demon with a quick and furious temper, and is easy to anger, as demonstrated when he damns Pwyll's soul to Hell for claiming a stag he Pwyll was unaware belonged to Arawn. However, he is shown to have a fondness for tricks and contests, usually offering his victims a way out of their damnation if they can defeat him in a battle of wits or complete a difficult task, although these are often rigged to ensure Arawn always claims his victims' souls. Arawn is also extremely cocky and arrogant, and it is through this overconfidence that he is ultimately defeated, once by underestimating the abilities of Pwyll, resulting in the demon losing his claim on Pwyll's soul, and the second by underestimating the strength of King Arthur's court, who, unbeknownst to him, were housing an angel, Gawain. Category:Demons Category:Fanon Characters